Stories from the Middle East - Valentina Primo

What if I take you to a faraway land, where fate conspires to change your mind?

A NEW ADVENTURE

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10 years ago I moved to Egypt, eager to discover a culture so wildly misunderstood. What I didn’t know was that its people, its stories, and its unwavering entrepreneurs would forever defy every certainty I had. What I didn’t know is that there, beyond the threshold of fear, is where you purpose can be found.

Here’s my story

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There’s so much beauty when people join hands fo

There’s so much beauty when people join hands for humanity. Donate to @nader.aljorf’s crowdfunding campaign and get this beautiful downloadable artwork by @marysherif.

How?

1. Donate at least 500 EGP or 15 USD (DM if you want to pay EGP on Instapay)

2. ⁠send a screenshot of the donation to getnaderout@gmail.com

3. ⁠Get the downloadable artwork (high res) in less than 24 hours!

We are so grateful for everyone’s support, from artists to changemakers, to the startup community. We are almost hitting 50%of the funding raised!

👣 I’m not doing a year recap of my 2023. Not

👣 I’m not doing a year recap of my 2023. Not in a year that so profoundly crushed our faith in humanity.

But I am, unwaveringly and relentlessly, refusing to waver our right to dream. And there is one practice I’ve embraced every January that radically changed the course of my life: creating my map of dreams. Even in the hardest of years.

Recently, as I spoke to one of our community members in Gaza, he reminded me that our voices matter. That I have a story that needs to see the light.

So this year, my map of dreams will be filled with a major one: writing the book.

And because this is the number one question I get every year, I’ve prepared a guide to create your own map of dreams.

👉 You can download it on the link in my bio (and join the book adventure as well!)

❤️ Yesterday, our hope was reignited when we h

❤️ Yesterday, our hope was reignited when we heard all the way from Jordan, where visual artist @mudar_rawi_art decided to auction his latest painting “Chessboard,” to support the fundraising campaign to help Nader safely out of Gaza.

“His approach is inspired by his sense of detachment from his original homeland and his search for meaning and identity, as he adapted to life in exile with an open mind,” says the artist’s bio, who was born in the UK to Iraqi parents and is based in Amman.

Thank you @mudar_rawi_art for showing us the power of art to unite humanity for good.

If you want to make a bid, head over to his Instagram and bid in the comments.

And if you want to support the fundraising campaign directly, head over to the link in my bio. ❤️

🙏

❤️ THIS NEW YEAR, HELP NADER ESCAPE WAR IN GAZ

❤️ THIS NEW YEAR, HELP NADER ESCAPE WAR IN GAZA

For the past 3 months, our friend @nader.aljorf has endured unimaginable conditions in Gaza, as he had to flee his hometown and leave everything behind. Twice.

Today, he is in Rafah, at the Egyptian border, where he and his family had to stay in warehouses and tents, with no clean water, food, or medicine.

Everyday, we hear Nader’s terrifying accounts as his neighbors and friends are killed by Israeli bombings. His university professor, his school classmates, the entrepreneurs he so passionately supported…

We’ve launched this fundraising campaign together with his friends to help him get safely out of Gaza.

Let’s start 2024 with an act of kindness. Your support, regardless of the amount, can make a huge impact on their lives. 🙏❤️

Link to the campaign in my bio.

🚨 Share this video to help us reach more people.

If you know our work in Egypt and the MENA, you mo

If you know our work in Egypt and the MENA, you most probably have met @nader.aljorf. For the last 3 years, he has been passionately supporting young entrepreneurs to reach their ambitions not only in his hometown of Gaza, but also around the MENA and Europe.

His thoughtfulness, kindness and empathy approach to everyone he crossed paths with is unmatched. Throughout his work for the past 3 years, Nader has become not only a talented colleague, but also our dearly beloved friend.

For the past 3 months, Nader has endured unimaginable conditions in Gaza, as he had to flee his hometown and leave everything behind. Twice.

Today, he is in Rafah, at the Egyptian border, where they had to stay in warehouses and tents, with no clean water, food, or medicine.

Everyday, we hear Nader’s terrifying accounts as his neighbors and friends are killed by Israeli bombings. His university professor, his school classmates, the entrepreneurs he so passionately supported…

Today, we joined forces with those who know and love him to help get him and his family out of Gaza safely, through a fundraising campaign to cover travel expenses and permits.

Your support, regardless of the amount, can make a huge impact on their lives.

Link in my bio 🙏❤️

☀️ Postcards of a season that felt like summer

☀️ Postcards of a season that felt like summer, spring, and winter all at at once; a season filled with family memories, trekking adventures, and many first times…

1-3: Trekking in Santorini with my uncle & aunt 🇬🇷
4. Feeling invincible after 4 hours trekking on volcanic land 🌋
5. You can imagine how rewarding that beach in Kamari was…
6. We spent 15 days trekking with the Amazing Two: From the Path of Gods in the Amalfi Coast 🇮🇹 to Ravello 🍋 to the trek Thira-Oia
7. Reuniting with @agospianaok in Birmingham to see @tonyrobbins for the first time. 🇬🇧
8. Went straight to see another idol: Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s hometown ✍️
9. Reuniting with my parents in Argentina 🇦🇷 (and taking Cielo on a 14-hour flight 🐶)
10. My first concert alone: @imaginedragons at the Circo Massimo in Rome 🇮🇹

This is a story I never tell. Mostly, because I am

This is a story I never tell. Mostly, because I am perpetually embarrassed to tell it.

In September 2019, I almost go broke. I was 20 months into my business and my savings had run out. I was building the biggest event we had ever done, and only had €600 Euros left in my account.

600 Euros that would only afford me my next month’s rent in a shared appartment and some cheap pizza and pasta. No company expenses, not salaries, and ESPECIALLY not a big event.

I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I couldn’t tell anyone because, you know, fake it till you make it; but I could hardly see but a black, muddy path and I didn’t know where to turn.

Because I am relentlessly stubborn, I was not willing to cancel the event; not until I had given it every last bit of blood, sweat and tears I had left.

I remember walking through that black tunnel with 3 companions that made all the difference: @imaginedragons “Whatever it takes”, @msrachelhollis’ podcast, and @tonyrobins on repeat in my headphones. He was able to turn me into an entrepreneur with “Absolute Certainty” of the things she could make.

At that moment, I promised myself that if I made it, if I was able to pull off not only the event but a “real” company that alongside the impact we were having also made revenue, I would get a ticket to his live event.

And then, something incredible happened. Just a few weeks before the event, two of the biggest sponsors I was pitching to confirmed. I had broken the spell.

We went on to build many @startupswithoutborders summits, some of them featuring European royalty and Global tech powerhouses, but that one will always hold the most special place ❤️

… this summer, almost 4 years (and a pandemic) later, I got to attend @tonyrobbins’ UPW. And it was all I needed to own, embrace, and believe in my dreams again 🚀

“You didn’t come this far just to come this far.”

Thank you @agospiana for insisting I come.

Ps: I also got to see @imaginedragons live in the same month. Life can be so magical…

Postcards of a Roman summer ☀️ with Milo, Ciel

Postcards of a Roman summer ☀️ with Milo, Cielo, and the fam.